Impeller mounting



Jan. 8, 1952 Filed March 22, 1946 Fgal.

B. H. BROWN IMPELLER MOUNTING 2 SHEETSSHEET l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 B. H. BowN IMPELLER MOUNTING Jan. 8, 1952 Filed March 22, 1946 Patented Jan. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' I 2,581,834 I i Bertrand H. Brown, Hartford,

Conn, usignor to United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford, Conn a corporation of Delaware Application March 22, 1946, Serial No. 858,386

8 Claims.

This invention relates to impeller mountings and particularly to a mounting for a centrifugal type impeller for an aircraft engine supercharger.

An object ofthe invention is to provide an improved mounting structure for impellers.

A further object is to provide an improved mounting for impellers in which a plane passing through the center of the mass of the impeller assembly normal to the axis of rotation thereof passes through the bearing upon which the impeller rotates.

Another object is to provide a centrifugal im peller which has an unobstructed streamlined air entrance passage and which is rotated and supported from one side thereof by a shaft and bearing having a high shaft critical speed and low bearing surface speeds, said bearing being approximately centered axially with respect to the center of mass of the impeller assembly.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims. and from the accompanying drawing'which illustrates what is now considered to be a preferred embodiment of a the invention.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional view, with some parts shown in full, of an aircraft engine supercharger having a centrifugal impeller mounted according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the mounting structure for the impeller of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a supercharger l0, comprising a centrifugal type impeller l2 having radial vanes 2| thereon and having a streamlined hub or cap I 6 rotatable therewith. In operation, the impeller is rapidly rotated to pump fluid, such as engine intake air or fuel air mixture, from inlet conduit I8 to an annular collector chamber 20. Fluid leaving impeller vanes 2i at high velocity is slowed down and increased in static pressure by diffuser section 22, having fixed vanes 24 therein.

Impeller" is driven from one side thereof by' a shaft 26, which in turn is driven by the engine (not shown) in a known manner through a speed increasing gear train which includes a jack shaft gear 30 and an impeller shaft gear 28.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the impeller is recessed in its web or central section. on the side opposite air inlet It, to form a blind hole or recess 40 within which a retainer cup 42 is closely fitted. Cup 42 is provided with a U-shaped annular edge including a thickened lip portion 43. An annular flange or boss 45 protrudes from the back face I! of the impeller and fits snugly within the bight portion of the cup edge. Cup] lip 43 ,is dimensioned on its inner periphery to form a press or force fit at 49 with the outer periphery of impeller flange 45, thereby retaining the cup in recess 40, locating it concentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of the impeller and forming a driving fit between the cup and the impeller. The cup is preferably made of steel, or similar material, while the impeller is usually made of a magnesium or aluminum material. Consequently the impeller tends to grow or deform radially during rotation at a greater rate than the lip or band 43 on the cup. Thus the band or lip inhibits the growth rate or strain of the impeller hub during operation, thereby acting as a reinforcement reducing stress on the impeller hub material.

The inner end of shaft 26 is provided with an outturned annular flange 4 which is bolted against bottom wall ll of the cup 42, by bolts 48. These bolts pass through the web section Shaft 26 is rotated in a bearing so by gear 2a,

splined to the shaft at 29. Bearing 50 is mounted within a housing 52, which has an annular base portion 54 bolted at 35 within a recess in a fixed partition or wall 33 of the case or frame 32. An

extension 53 projects from one side of the housing base into an opening 55 in wall 33, around shaft 26. Base portion 54 and the extension 53 locate and rigidl support housing 52 with respect to wall 33. A pedestal or column 56 integral with base portion 50 extends into cup l2, coaxially with shaft 26. Bearing 50 is pressed or pinned within the end of housing 52 and the arrangement is such that shaft 26 and impeller I 2 bolted thereto are rotatably supported in bearing 50 by wall 33st 3. point within recess 40 and cup 42.

Preferably,'bearing lili'is-so located that the center of mass of the rotatable impeller assembly (impeller l2, cap ll, cup 42, plate 48 and bolts 46, 50) lies in a plane normal to the axis of rotation and passing substantially through the center of the bearing, as indicated by the broken line 60. Thus, the impeller assembly is in effect rotatably supported at a point in a Plane passing thr u the center of mass of said assembly normal to the axis of rotation thereof.

It n as emb lik r sion-em d from b ring; iiil is extremelyi sinallf".the-icons: struction" is such 'that the first natural period of vibration of the impeller assembly and mount.

, ing structure is substantially that determined ,by

the stiffness of housing 52, which forms the of pedestal i8, bear against the inner surface of bearing support. The housing. hasa relatively large outer diameter, therebyprovidinga high stiffness and thus a high first natural period.

Consequently an impeller assembly, mounted in accordance with this invention has a first natural period, or critical speed, which is considerably higher than that inherent in conventional impeller mounting arrangements of the same shaft. diameter.- This enables the impellerto be operatedfw'ithsafety ,athigher speedsthan would be possible with the conventional arrangements. At: thesame' bearing 50. may. be. made-small: enough to yigldsufflcientlyilow bearing surface speds,.'.....Further, the ,vibrationcharacteristics offtheiinpeller. assembly are substantially deter-- mined by'themo int'in compr m bearing housing 6.2 .the position. of the other, hearing .or.

bearings for shaftlt may thereforebe selected at will, w" out materially affecting 'operational characteristics. '-In. the '1 form pf the invention shown, a sir gle lavearing 2'l.- is-;provided: for the. lefthand, end of shaft, opposite the mounting. 52

.To absorb thrust forces on; the impeller, which tend during operation. to move the assembly toward the airinlet to the right as viewed in Fig. 2), a thrust bearing-is provided, which comprises thrust rings 62, 68 and a thrust washer 64. Washer 64 is bolted to the case wall 33 by bolts 35,; the; same bolts that secure housing 52 to the W thus radial movements of shaft26 are resisted by case 32 through wall 33 and housing 52, while-axial movements of shaft 26- are resisted by case 3 2 through wall 33 andthrust washer 64. Thrust rings 52, 68 are locked axially with respect to shaft by -a nut 12, which holds the assembly consisting of gear 28, a spacer ring'lll; and thrust rings 62, 68 in abutment with ashoulder 66 on the -outer.periphery of the shaft. Gear 28 and thrustq fin s 52, 68Jare.also splined to the shaft for-rotation therewith. =Anoil splash ring or guard ring. 14,. spaced from and'covering the outer side of thrust ring 62 is securedto'wall '33 by bolts-35..-

a I iBearing .50:is 1ubrica ted by oil fed through oil holes lii'iromv the interior of shaft 26; which is supplied with oil-under pressure in a conventional manner; Thrust-bearing 62, "is" lubricated by oil=supplied from shaft 26 through'tapering passag'es"-fi3..-The impeller end 'of--='theshaft is piiiggeu-ar1sa Oil flowing past'the bearing so is drama-sway to a sump (not shown) by passages Bil." "These passages'are vented to atmosphere by fitting 82 and ports 84. To" prevent oil from cup 42.

while the invention is shown in the embodiment of the drawing as applied to a centrifugal impeller of the radial flow type it is to be under stood that it is not limited to any particular type of impeller or to the specific embodiment herein illustrated and described, but may be used in other ways without departure from its spirit as defined by the following claims.

I claim: I

1. A rotatable assembly including a vaned fluid impelles-.-haying unobstructed :in1et.and a recup on other'iside thereoL a driving shaft fixed to said impeller and extending into said cup, and a hearing within said cup for said shaft having substantially equal bearing surface areasloca'ted respectively on opposite sides of a plane passingsubstantially through the center of mass of the rotatable assembly normal to the axis of rotation thereof.

2. A centrifugalimpeller having a recessed web section, a cup fitted within said recess, an

annular flange on said impeller around said cup, and a band surrounding said flange and connected to said cup, said band having a tight flt with said flange for forming a driving connection therebetween.

3. An impeller according to claim 2. in which said band is of a material and configuration such that the band tends to have a smaller rate of radial-growth upon rotation thereof than said impeller flange.

4. Mounting and driving means for a vaned rotatable impeller comprising, a casing, a wall member in said casing, a driving shaft extending through an opening in said wall, a vaned rotatable impeller having a recessed web section and an annular flange projecting therefrom, means fixing. said impeller to an'end of said shaft on one side of said wall including a cup fltted within said recessed web section having a band surrounding said flange, said band having a tight fit with said flange for forming a driving connection therebetween. a tubular housing for resisting radial movements of said shaft and said rotatable impeller relative to said wall, said housing bridging the gap between said rotatable impeller and said wall and a bearing means in said tubular housing for said shaft.

' member.

-6. Mounting and driving means for a radial flow impeller having an axial inlet, comprising, a recess in said impeller on the side opposite said inlet. a cup member within said recess for mounting said impeller, a shaft having one end thereof extending into said cup'in radially spaced relation thereto, means accessible from the inlet side of said impeller for securing said shaft and said cup to said impeller, supporting means extending into the space between said cup member I and said shaft, and a bearing sleeve member. on

leaking into the engine intake air, oil seal rings as, carried in ring grooves in the outerperiphery said supporting means rotatably engaging said shaft...-

7. A structure according to claim 6, including means for feeding a lubricant from the interior of said shaft to the bearing surface between said shaft and said bearing member, and oil seal means between said supporting means and said cup.

8. In combination, a driving shaft, an'impeller having a. recessed web section, a cup fitted within said recessed web section, an annular flange on said impeller around said cup. a band surrounding said flange and connected to said cup, said band having a tight fit with said flange, said driving shaft extending into said cup and being drivingly connected thereto and a bearing means for said driving shaft.

BERTRAND H. BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENT Name Date Edwards et a1 May 6, 1890 Welch Dec. 29, 1931 Sprink Jan. 21, 1936 Peters June 21, 1938 Gustaffsson et a1. .Nov. 30, 1943 Thompson Apr. 23, 1946 Van Rijswijk May 28, 1946 Jacobsen June 14, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Number Great Britain Jan. 1, 1921 

